Here’s a sign that whatever happens in the U.S. or overseas with climate-change gymnastics, big investors are taking the issue seriously.

RiskMetrics Group, the big risk-analysis firm, just snapped up KLD Research, which specializes in environmental, social, and governance issues for investors. That basically means that RiskMetrics’ traditional approach to figuring out what risks hang over companies—from exchange rates to commodity prices–will now include plenty of emphasis on environmental issues, including climate change.

The tie-up comes as many institutional investors are increasingly pressing big companies to be more forthright about their exposure to potential risks (and opportunities) from climate change. Witness the growth of Ceres.

And it comes just after the Securities and Exchange Commission made it easier for shareholders to ask companies about social and environmental risks—including climate change…

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